Indoeuropa: Tempe Made in Belgium and Other Goodies

When I arrived in London in May last year from Australia, I immediately was looking for two essential food items: kecap manis (sweet soya sauce) and Indomie (instant noodle) – both uniquely Indonesian, both I’d terribly miss if I can’t have them, and I had doubts that I could find them in London. So yes even after more than a decade out of the country, I need kecap manis and Indomie desperately for my regular intake.

First destination was Chinatown! Fortunately Indomie is so popular that it’s easily found in London Chinatown (and possibly anywhere around the world actually).

But the kecap manis was a bit tricky. I did not find it on my first visit to Chinatown.

Then I found this small bottle of Ketjap Manis in Mark & Spencer food section. Notice the old spelling of kecap! I’m guessing that it must have taken the product idea from Netherland.

M&S Indonesian prawn crackers: the authentic Asian snack, made with a daily fresh catch of prawns from local fisherman in Indonesia

The M&S Ketjap Manis wasn’t so bad, but it’s not as thick as the real thing, more like in the middle of sweet and salty soya sauce in terms of taste and consistency. Luckily I found the real ABC Kecap Manis on my next visit to Chinatown, after going around more shops and looking further:

Aah you never know what you have until you lose it…

Another interesting item I found also when venturing to Chinatown was this Tempeh, which is not just any tempe, since it is made in Belgium:

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I left home when I was 17 and never stop exploring the world since. Most days I'm a digital technician at one of the London's biggest visual effects studio. My alternate persona writes and travels and dreams of doing these as a living. I alternately call myself Indonesian or Australian whichever is more beneficial at the time, and I've been a Londoner since 2011.

7 Responses

JoV · December 7, 2012 at 21:07:19 · →

I use the normal kicap, Chinese soy sauce. Ever since I’m in this country I have move my instant noodle taste buds to the Korean noodles for soup noodles, however I still keep “loads” and packets of Indomie goreng. My fav flavour is “Satay” flavour, then come rendang and pedas.

mee · December 10, 2012 at 14:12:43 · →

Jo, I eat the Korean soup noodles too, they’re great! But for the “fried noodle” type there’s no substitute for Indomie goreng! I love the original flavour, then rendang, pedas, and satay. So great that you know them too! :D

I find that there’s no substitute for Indonesian kecap manis too. The Chinese/Japanese/other Asian soy sauce are usually salty or salty sweet. You could sort come up with somewhat similar flavour by reducing normal soy sauce and sugar, but definitely not practical (also not really the same).

JoV · December 10, 2012 at 16:08:10 · →

I’m really really curious about this kicap manis now… :) How and when do you use it? is it just for dip or for stir fried as well?

mee · December 11, 2012 at 14:33:59 · →

We use it for almost everything! :D Dip yes, stir fry yes. We use it with satay sauce (we have lots of dishes with peanut sauce, not just satay), and to make fried noodle/kwetiaw/rice. If you take notice at the small packets inside of Indomie, the black sticky sauce is our kecap manis.

JoV · December 12, 2012 at 21:35:51 · →

Thanks for the education! Now I know the kicap manis is quite thick. I’ll try ABC if not try Marks.

mee · December 13, 2012 at 12:40:57 · →

Don’t try the M&S one, it’s not the same! (well you can try if you want, but you need to try the real one as well :). My ex-flatmates from Mauritius and Colombia used to call it “the magic sauce” because we used it in the house for so many things LOL.

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Who is Wandering Mee?

Mee is an Indonesian-born Australian girl living in London. I write, I read, I travel. I work on visual effects for movies for my day job. Storytelling is a passion. Wandering Mee is my creative sandbox - to hopefully inform, inspire, and entertain the traveler in you. Still curious?